2023 Paddlers Awards Winners – Nouria Newman (FRA), Female Paddler of the Year
We are delighted to announce Nouria Newman as Female Paddler of the Year 2023.
Another glorious year for Nouria Newman, with impressive descents around the world. From a second descent on Atom Ball Falls in California to high water runs in Zambia, Georgia, and France, a Nepali triple crown, race wins, including the title of Extreme World Champion, capped off with a descent of the Rhondu Gorge of the Indus, including not one, but two, laps of Malupa.’ Here is what Ben Stooksberry has to say about Nouria’s year.
« In my opinion, she is the best expedition paddler in the sport, gender not withstanding, and as active as any other paddler. She wins every race she enters, and says positive things on social media about the locals she meets and the people she chooses to paddle with on the rivers she loves. The Dudh Kosi solo mission to reconnect with a Nepali grandma who she had met on a previous trip was particularly touching. We are living in a time of Nouria, and I for one am trying to appreciate every river she runs. The only problem is there are so many rivers that it’s hard—if not impossible—to know everything she has done just this year, let alone in her now multi-decade whitewater career. »
Check out the 2023 Paddler Awards Finalist’s here